Not sure if this belongs in this forum topic or not. If not, maybe a moderator will move it to its correct place. Does anyone own this radio? Just curious as to what your thoughts are. $65.99 on Amazon. Even if it dies after a year, that's one heck of a price.

I have the UV 3R and am quite happy with it. I also reccommend the programming cable, and cd ( 12 bucks) and the spare battery, ( also 12 bucks) , I use a small bullet antenna , for use in places like ham conventions, fits in the pocket, and no pokes in the eye. good enough for indoor simplex work. You can program the by ham, but easier with the cable.

It looks like a pretty good deal for an entry level radio. I just may order one with all the accessories. I've read several comments about the use of the programming software with these Chinese imports. Seems like that's the way to go.I have a friend that's a new ham and this might be good to get him on the air locally. He already has a homebrew external antenna that he has been using with a scanner to listen to the local repeaters. May just get him talking yet.

I have the UV 3R and am quite happy with it. I also reccommend the programming cable, and cd ( 12 bucks) and the spare battery, ( also 12 bucks) , I use a small bullet antenna , for use in places like ham conventions, fits in the pocket, and no pokes in the eye. good enough for indoor simplex work. You can program the by ham, but easier with the cable.

I have the 3R and I would not recommend it to an enemy. Save your money and get a good Japanese rig. Day and night.

I'd recommend purchasing from one of the HAM industry innovators. Yaesu, ICOM, Kenwood and Alinco for example, have been bringing us great new two-way products for years. Now we're seeing their hard work being reverse-engineered by communist China, using poor quality materials and low prices to target you, and your valuable American dollars. Support the innovators, before they find themselves no longer able to compete for your dollars, and just have to go out-of-business. Think about it.

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Buy from the innovators of our industry.(Please do not support communist Chinese technology thieves)

I'd recommend purchasing from one of the HAM industry innovators. Yaesu, ICOM, Kenwood and Alinco for example, have been bringing us great new two-way products for years. Now we're seeing their hard work being reverse-engineered by communist China, using poor quality materials and low prices to target you, and your valuable American dollars. Support the innovators, before they find themselves no longer able to compete for your dollars, and just have to go out-of-business. Think about it.

They're not reversing anything. Wouxun etc have been making commercial hand held radios for ages. Difference is now they've targetted amateurs outside of China.

Do you think YaeComWood make all their own kit? They don't. A lot of their parts and assemblies are made in China along with probably most of the electronics in your home regardless of the badge on the front.

We are all well aware that the major manufacturers are being forced to have the products they design, assembled in China, but only out of being forced to, in an effort to compete with cheap labor being used by the technology thieves in China. Otherwise, the technology-innovating companies would have their products assembled in their respective countries, in support of their own economies. When the innovators can no longer compete, they will die. Is saving a few dollars worth the sacrifice to come? In my mind, the answer is a no-brainer.

Union labor in the United States is in large part, the problem. But, I believe most of the blame goes to consumers that put price before quality by supporting the Chinese workers charged with the never-ending task of reverse-engineering foreign technological equipment. We all know it's happening; to ignore or deny it, leads only to our own demise. Let's work together on this issue to save the leaders of our industry.

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Buy from the innovators of our industry.(Please do not support communist Chinese technology thieves)

You usually get what you pay for, so if you don't pay much, you get junk.

Also, as in an above posting, the Chinese factories take designs from other companies and don't pay them royalties. That is theft, pure and simple. Are you willing to support thievery--because that is most likely what you're doing when you buy some Chinese goods.

Just got my Baofeng UV-5R a few days ago, and it's a nice little HT. It does exactly what it says it does. The computer software took me a few min to get setup correctly but once it was the rest went smoothly. Battery lasts a long time on a charge, and shipping was surprisingly fast from Hong Kong.

Also have a friend that has one, no problems with either yet. Great HT for the price.

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